There was a certain lack of sensitivity in the way that the family and friends of former president and convicted rapist Moshe Katsav celebrated his release from prison on Dec. 21. When he returned to his hometown of Kiryat Malachi, he was received with bouquets of flowers. Candy was thrown at him and there was singing and dancing. It was a display of joy completely out of sync with the enormous shift in Israeli attitudes toward sexual assault that has taken place over the last two years. Katsav's supporters seemed to ignor the fact that though his prison term was shortened from seven to five years, his release has several humiliating conditions. For instance, he is forbidden from taking any job that involves hierarchical relations with women.
Katsav was released back into a country very different from the one he left when he passed through the gates of Maasiyahu Prison in Ramle five years ago. Nowadays, such a celebration in honor of a rapist could easily turn into a public protest against him. It might even impact the conditions of his early release.
